Camaro Research Group Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: navigator on February 04, 2010, 01:24:42 PM

Good day all, first off; I'm relatively new to this forum and I want to start out by saying how great it is. It's a fantastic site for a guy like me who's in the market for his dream car (69) and needs to learn all he can. I owned a 69 SS BB in my younger days and when I sold it I swore that one day I'd own another. That was 30 years ago and now that I think I'm getting close to making it happen, I'm doing all I can tore-educating myself. Of all the sites I've stumbled upon or from all the books I've been reading, this site is by far the best place to learn. It was a lot simpler back then. I think the only question I had then was: "Does it go fast?". Today however, the market is crazy. It's getting extremely difficult to tell what's real and what's not, let alone what should be real.

Anyway, I'm looking at a 69 SS 396-325hp. I'm assuming column shifters were relatively rare on these cars. If so, does anyone think that a column shift adds anything to the value of the car? I'm being told it does (by the seller of course) but I'm not so sure it does. It may be rare, but I can't see it adding anything to the value? In my mind, there's a reason it's rare, no one wanted it and I'm not so sure I do either.

Welcome I too did the same as you, When I started my search I made a list of what I wanted. SS, RS, Z28, Coupe or Convertible, Engine size , Tranny, Rear end, Tach, Console, Gauges, Interior color, Exterior color, Vinyl top etc. etc. so many options so many decisions. All original or Clone ? Numbers matching?" Born With " drivetrain ? Date Correct ? What is important to you ? What type of events and at what level of competition if any do you want to address. There is something for every enthusiast at every level. The reason I say think real hard and make a list is that you don't want to buy yourself short and not be happy with your purchase. Is that even possible? Owning a 1st gen. Camaro is Heaven! But be aware of your desires and intended use of the car. You may want certain items like I did. Convertible, Super Sport, Small Block, Turbo 350, 12 bolt, Black Int, SS Hood, Full Gauge Pkg. Spoilers front and back But wait.....this isn't 1969 and I can't order this car as I would have liked to. I have to settle for what I can find in my price range. Certainly I can just add what I want to to it, unless I'm a stickler for originality. So now what can I live without? Not all Super Sports came with all the gauges that I would have liked. Spoilers too. I became a cowl tag addict, learned all the dates and codes. If 2+2 didn't add up to 4 then I needed to re-evaluate my list or stick to it and keep looking. Bottom Line is do your Homework before you buy so you don't regret or get burned on your purchase. Good Luck!!!

Fraud, has become a significant part of the hobby. If you are looking at a rare camaro, hire an expert like Jerry M. to inspect it before purchase. Too many crooks looking for the fast buck. Read through the postings here and on other forums. Suspicion, and knowledge are needed in the market today.

Thanks for the advise everyone, I certainly appreciate it and to 69houdini; your post above makes perfect sense. You put it well; the bottom line is being happy with the car. That being said however, I have a lot to learn so I hope you guys don't mind a one sided relationship, at least for the time being. I've already learned a lot from this site, but I haven't got a whole lot to offer in return. It's good to know there is a site dedicated to those that seem to have a real passion for these cars. The knowledge on this site is incredible. For guys like me it's a steep learning curve but before I buy anything I want to have a good understanding of what it is I'm actually buying. Like all of you, I'm sure, I've worked too hard to give my money away to someone who's basically a crook. Sooner or later I'll get a handle on this crazy market. For example, here's one I looked at:

For all I know it could be the perfect car, (apart from the price) but until I learn more, I have no way of knowing that. Tom makes a good point in his post above; sometimes it's worth paying for the advise of an expert. I still want to learn all I can, however. There's something about cars from that era that gets into one's blood. It was truly an exciting time in automotive history and I think a first gen camaro represents that better than most.

If you buy a car and is has a column shifter and you want to change it...let me know. I have an original SS350 pace car that came with a column shifter and I converted it a floor shifter with console and gauges. It was cool at the time and did what I wanted it to do, but now I want to put it back. I would be happy to trade you my floor shifter and steering column for your column shift. It's not that hard to swap out either, so don't let that be the reason you don't buy your next Camaro.